The L-word stands for the Loop, Lakeview & more
Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Lincoln Square, Logan Square and the Loop all have a few things in common. They all start with the letter L; they all offer vintage graystones, Victorian houses and rehabbed condos on tree-lined and urban streets; and they all are among the hippest places to live in Chicago! If you’re planning to move to one of these historic and happening communities, read on to learn interesting information on each.
Chicago’s center is The Loop where locals and tourists flock to work, play, shop and site-see. As the cultural and architectural hub of the state, the area includes iconic buildings such as the Chicago Board of Trade, Daley Plaza and the Sears Tower as well as outdoor works of art by Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro and Alexander Calder. Priceless visual art can be viewed indoors at the internationally-famous Art Institute of Chicago while the country’s best performing arts can be enjoyed at the historic Auditorium Theatre, Civic Opera House, Chicago Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre, and the contemporary-constructed Goodman Theatre and Gene Siskel Film Center. If that’s not enough, Millennium Park features free outdoor concerts and Grant Park annually hosts Lollapalooza. Plus parades are slated for almost every holiday including St. Patrick’s Day, Polish Constitution Day, Columbus Day, Memorial Day, and Thanksgiving Day.
Only 2 miles north of the Loop is Lincoln Park, which borders Lake Michigan with beachfront property, a 1,200-acre park, zoo and conservatory. In addition to its natural charms, the area is an urban paradise of clubs, pubs, shopping and more. Each year, residents partake in outdoor festivals such as Taste of Lincoln Avenue and Lincoln Park Summerfest while indoor entertainment is had year-round at the Apollo Theatre Center and Victory Gardens Theatre on Lincoln Avenue and the Royal George Theatre and Steppenwolf Theatre Company on Halsted Street.
For additional entertainment, visit Lakeview where The Athenaeum on Southport provides killer theater nights and the Mercury Theatre includes appearances by Sigmund Freud and Edgar Allan Poe, who are portrayed on stage. Only 3 miles north of the Loop, this happening hood is a music-lover’s dream with the Belmont-Sheffield Music Festival in June and the Lakeview Music Fest in July. It’s also home to Clark Street’s Metro, the infamous underground venue where the Smashing Pumpkins, Blur, Garbage, Naked Raygun, Siouxie and the Banshees, Kate Nash and more have performed. There’s even more fun for after-show socializing at the Lincoln Tap Room on Lincoln Avenue, Sheffield’s on Sheffield and Ten Cat Tavern on Ashland Avenue.
Taste of Logan Square and the Historic Mansion House and Garden Walk are among the outdoor events enjoyed by Logan Square residents. In addition to wide boulevards, landmark architecture, parks, schools, stores, the area includes Margie’s ice cream parlor on Western Avenue, the Congress Theater on Milwaukee Avenue and the Logan Square Auditorium Kedzie Avenue. Best of all, the hip hood is just 5 miles northwest of the Loop.
Approximately 6 miles northwest of the Loop, you’ll find Lincoln Square where residents honor German and Bavarian culture with seasonal celebrations such as Mayfest and Oktoberfest while Chicago Brauhaus and Huettenbar tempt locals with Old World fare year-round.
Other Windy City L-hoods include Lathrop (4 miles northwest of the Loop); Lawndale (6 miles west of the Loop) Lakewood-Balmoral (7 miles north of the Loop), Little Village (7 miles southwest of the Loop), and Longwood Manor (13 miles south of the Loop).
Wherever you decide to live in Chicago, Golan’s Moving and Storage Company can get you there. The moving company in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York has successfully handled local, long distance, and international relocations without a hitch since 1990.